Corrupted compasses and deadly selfies – six ways technology is putting travellers at risk
This week Mountaineering Scotland issued a warning that magnets in outdoor clothing and on phone covers are putting hikers at risk, after a group accidentally walked miles in the wrong direction because of a malfunctioning compass.
The compass had been stored in a walker’s pocket next to a mobile phone in a magnetic case, causing the polarity of the needle to reverse so that north pointed south. They became disorientated in low cloud after walking east instead of west.
Heather Manning, mountain safety adviser for Mountaineering Scotland, told the BBC: "Fortunately no-one was hurt – just pride dented – but it could have turned out so much worse had mountain conditions been more severe."
She added: "Modern technology is great. The resources available now to keep us warm and safe in the mountains have never been better. But more joined-up thinking is needed between outdoor clothing manufacturers and mountain users to avoid potentially life-threatening consequences."
Mountaineering Scotland advises hikers to keep compasses away from electronic devices and magnets, and to always bring a physical map on walks.
This isn’t the first case of modern technology putting travellers in perilous situations.
Drone intrusions threatening flights
In recent years there has been an increase in near misses and flight disruption due to reckless drone pilots.
In April 2015, Manchester Airport diverted four flights and closed a runway after a drone was seen flying nearby, with passengers having to continue their journeys from Liverpool and East Midlands airports instead.
Drone flying rules | What are they?
A similar incident occured last year at Gatwick Airport, when a runway closed for 14 minutes due to a near miss with a drone. A flight from Milan was forced to land at Bournemouth, another from Bodrum landed in Southend, while flights from Inverness and Naples landed at Stansted.
And just last week, video footage appeared to show a near miss incident between a drone and a plane at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas.
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Social media causing celebrity holiday burglaries
Next time you post a holiday selfie on social media, stop to think who might be ‘liking’ this information.
Last year John Terry’s home was burgled after he shared images on Instagram while skiing with his wife, Toni, telling his 3.4 million followers that he was having “a great few days away skiing with the family”.
A group of burglars broke into their home, taking designer handbags worth ￡126,000 and rare first edition Harry Potter books reported to be worth over ￡18,000.
It does not appear to have deterred the former England captain. Just last month he posted an image with his wife in front of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
Experts have warned that “Insta-bragging”, or checking into locations on social media, could soon invalidate contents insurance policies, since telling the world you aren’t at home isn’t deemed to be taking reasonable care.
10 ways the iPhone has ruined travel
Sat nav leading people seriously astray
Anyone who has taken their sat nav’s word as gospel will have experienced some kind of mishap in the past. A dead-end perhaps, or a "scenic route" down an untarmacked road.
Well, it could be worse.
In 2010, a British couple and two teenage boys spent four days stranded in the Australian Outback after their sat nav wrongly navigated them down a mud track. After driving a few hundred yards down the road, their vehicle slipped into a ditch and the group had to wait four days to be saved.
Last year, a German driver found himself stranded on a ski slope in Austria after he ignored all road signs and put complete faith into the accuracy of his trusty sat nav. It led him up a footpath, rather than a road, causing him to become stranded in the middle of the piste.
Sat nav fails – motorists led astray by technology, in pictures
CCTV you’d rather not see while on holiday
They say you shouldn’t watch TV on holidays. This applies to CCTV as well, it seems, after a family watched helplessly as a burglar cleared out their house while they were on holiday 120 miles away.
The family was on a weekend break in Burnham-on-Sea when their West Midlands home was burgled. They watched it all happen via a CCTV phone app, and promptly called the police. The burglar got away with items including a wedding ring and Rolex watch.
Selfies have become more dangerous than shark attacks
In 2015, The Telegraph reported that selfies had become more dangerous than shark attacks, after a Japanese tourist fell down some stairs at the Taj Mahal while photographing himself.
There's an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to those who have been injured or died in a selfie-related accident, and many involve tourists.
India | Selfie death capital of the world
In 2014, a Polish couple fell to their deaths off a cliff in Portugal while taking a selfie with their children, who both survived the accident. In 2015 a German skier in Italy went off-piste to take a selfie, before plunging two hundred metres to his death.
Last year, scientists revealed that ‘Selfitis’ is a genuine mental condition for people who feel compelled to post frequent pictures of themselves on social media.